Auckland Allies – Mike Reeves-McMillan

Auckland Allies by Mike Reeves-McMillan – I’ve been a fan of Mike’s writing for a while, and we’re friends on social media (isn’t the internet great? Mike is a Kiwi and I live outside Washington, D.C.; without the internet, we would probably never have even known each other existed. But I consider him a friend now, even though I’ve never met him.). He writes the kind of characters I enjoy – flawed but likable, kind, courageous (even though they’re frequently terrified), and of a basically gentle spirit. Auckland Allies is the first book in one of several new series. It’s set in Mike’s home town and filled with local landmarks, delightful slang, and dozens of geeky references. He has a different book in Light in the Darkness: A Noblebright Fantasy Boxed Set.

As bit players in the world of magic, Tara, Sparx, and their clairvoyant acquaintance Steampunk Sally are careful to stay clear of New Zealand’s supernatural politics. So after Sally uses her powers to win a little money at blackjack, it’s a nasty surprise when hired goons come after them.

Hitting the streets, they try to find out who these Blokes in Black work for, why such a dangerous and powerful figure has his sights set on three magical nobodies–and how to protect themselves.

They discover a plot to use Auckland’s volcanoes in a massive demon-summoning ritual, which nobody else is equipped to stop. The question is: are they?

The Auckland Allies discover a mysterious threat in the city’s oldest cemetery, and their first attempt to intervene leaves one of them in hospital – the same hospital the necromancer calling himself “Mr. Smith” is about to attack with four thousand angry Victorian ghosts.

Hundreds of the city’s most vulnerable people are in danger. Will a magical manuscript by Sir Isaac Newton provide the knowledge they need to take Smith down? Or can Steampunk Sally use her deep connection with Auckland to defend its citizens?